Chapter Three
Asmophel leaned forward, his expression curious and his eyes bright with interest. Holdar couldn't help but feel a little unnerved by the Astral's intense focus. It was like he was studying every word that came out of his mouth, picking apart each detail and analyzing it from every possible angle.
"Well, it was just a shimmering hole in the air," Holdar said, his voice a little shaky. "It appeared out of nowhere, and we didn't even notice it at first. But then the monster came out of it, and that's when things got crazy."
"What did the portal look like? Can you describe it in more detail?" Asmophel pressed.
Holdar racked his brain, trying to remember. "It was kind of...blurry. Like looking through a lens that's not quite in focus. And there were these swirls of color, like a rainbow that had been stretched out and twisted around. It was weird."
Asmophel nodded slowly, his eyes still fixed on Holdar's face. "And the monster? How did it get injured before I got there?"
"Well, Diegen stepped in," Holdar said, his voice growing softer. "He just...went crazy. I've never seen anything like it. He was like a different person, like he wasn't even himself anymore."
Asmophel's brow furrowed, and he leaned back in his chair, lost in thought. Holdar waited nervously for him to say something, anything, to break the silence.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Asmophel spoke. "I've heard of this before," he said, his voice low and thoughtful. "A Sa'nasi who's about to undergo the transformation sometimes experiences a sudden surge of power, a kind of...premonition, you might call it. It's like their body is preparing itself for what's to come."
Holdar stared at him, his mouth hanging open in surprise. "You mean...you think Diegen was already becoming an Astral?"
"It's possible," Asmophel said, nodding slowly. "And if that's the case, then we need to be very, very careful. The transformation can be unpredictable, and a newly-born Astral can be incredibly dangerous."
Holdar felt a chill run down his spine. He had always known that there was something special about Diegen, but he had never imagined that it could be this powerful, this...terrifying. He wondered what kind of person his friend would become, once he completed his transformation. Would he still be the same Diegen, or would he be someone else entirely?
Asmophel stood up, his eyes fixed on Diegen's sleeping form. "We'll keep him here for now," he said, his voice firm. "And I'll make sure to keep a close eye on him. But you two need to stay away from him until he's fully transformed. Understand?"
Holdar nodded numbly, still lost in thought. He couldn't shake the feeling that their lives were about to change in a very big way. And he wasn't sure if he was ready for it.
✾✾✾
Diegen awoke to a breathtaking scene of stars silently shimmering all around him. But as he wiggled his legs, he found only empty space beneath him. Panic set in as he realized he couldn't see his legs or body.
"Am I dead?" he wondered. "Is this what death feels like?"
But then a warm, motherly voice interrupted his thoughts. "Far from it, my child."
Startled, Diegen couldn't speak, but the voice reassured him. "Do not worry. Your soul may have no mouth, but I am able to read your thoughts."
Diegen gradually accepted that he was in an incorporeal form with no mouth and asked the voice who she was.
"I am called many names by your people, but you may call me Avaritia."
Diegen was shocked. Avaritia was one of the deities worshipped by the Church of Seven Deities. "Avaritia...the goddess? No way. This has to be a dream."
“Believe me, Diegen Faerfeld, this is no dream. While some would like to refer to me as a goddess, I am simply one of many who hold divinity. You, on the other hand, are truly special. In fact, I have been waiting for you for a long time.”
‘Waiting for me… but why? I’m just a regular guy.’
“Do not underestimate yourself, my child, for great potential rests within you. It is great enough that fate itself may be shaped by your actions. Your destiny is greater than you know.”
‘…I’m pretty sure this was how one of my favorite movies started, except the main character ends up dying at the end of it, so I’m not sure I like where this is going.’
“It is strange that your favorite movie is one where the main character dies.”
‘It’s a series of movies called Live Hard, actually. But that’s beside the point. Why am I here? If I’m not dead already, what’s happening to me?’
“Well, we have a lot to discuss. First, I would like to congratulate you on your ascension to the ranks of the Astrals.”
‘Umm. Say what now?’
“As all those who have demonstrated great courage in the face of overwhelming despair have, your soul has broken free of its former limitations and is in the process of reforging your physical form as we speak. When you awake, you will walk as one of the chosen, with the power to shape the world as you know it.”
‘Hold on, hold on. Hold on just a minute. How did this happen?’ Diegen asked, trying to remember exactly when he could’ve showed great courage.
The last thing he remembered was drinking with Holdar, but everything after that seemed a bit hazy. What could’ve been his moment of great courage? It couldn’t have been when he ate the last piece of mash, which did look a little sketchy. Hmm, there had to be something else. There was puke involved, and there was… right, he did remember peeing in a bush in public. Could that have been-
“Ahem. No, it’s none of the things you are thinking of,” Avaritia interjected, and Diegen swore he could hear a blush in her voice. “The spark that triggers one’s ascension is different for everyone. However, the soul never lies. If you obtained the qualifications for ascension, then it must be so.”
‘Even if I don’t remember it?’
“Even then,” she said firmly. “What is important now is what you do with your new strength, and the choices you make from here on out, starting with this one.”
A series of blue windows popped into Diegen’s vision. On each of them was a painting, and text underneath it.
“It is time to decide on the Path you will walk. I have organized the information into a format you may be familiar with, to help you digest it better,” Avaritia said.
—-
Path 1: Way of the Body
Walk the path of physical superiority and mold the world with your bare hands.
You will obtain skills that will allow you to exert strength beyond normal means if you choose this option.
Gain new skills as you level up.
—-
Path 2: Way of the Mind
Walk the path of the superior intellect to mold the world as you envision it.
You will obtain skills that will allow you to cast spells if you choose this option.
Gain new skills as you level up.
—-
Path ?: Way of the Soul
Walk a unique path that resonates with your soul and mold fate with the power of will.
You will not obtain any skills if you choose this option.
You will not gain any skills as you level up.
—-
Diegen read through the Paths and studied the paintings associated with them.
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The Way of the Body had a painting of a mighty Astral wielding a sword in one hand and a pistol in the other. He was standing over a mountain of monsters that had hundreds of weapons stuck into it, ranging from spears to daggers to chainsaws.
In contrast, the Way of the Mind had a painting of a flying Astral holding up a ball of fire in one hand and a ball of lightning in the other. In the background, pillars of fire and lightning rose from the ground up to a darkened sky.
The final painting for the Way of the Soul was much simpler than the other two, depicting an Astral not wielding any weapons or powers. While the Astrals in the other paintings were staring off into the distance, the Astral in this painting was staring straight ahead. It also looked strangely like… himself.
‘Is it okay if I ask you a question, Goddess?’
“Of course,” Avaritia said warmly. “Ask as many as you want.”
‘I’m still not quite sure what these Paths are. Are they like character classes in role-playing games?’
“Hmm, not quite. A Path will guide you on your journey as an Astral, like a road will guide you on a trip to your destination. Even if you end up taking a different road or choosing to go to another destination, every journey begins with selecting a single path.”
‘So, it’s like a trait that influences what classes I’ll get later?’
“…if you must insist on using this sort of analogy, I suppose that’s close enough.”
‘Then what are skills?’
“The simple version is that skills are active techniques or spells that use shimmer. Any shimmer that is used will naturally replenish over time.”
‘And the complicated version?’
“Skills are pre-programmed actions that channel your shimmer through specific nodes within your body in multi-sequence patterns, triggered by neural impulses tied to a single command or series of commands. Channelling your shimmer in this way activates null matrix particles in the space around you, converting them-“
‘Er… maybe I should just stick to the simple version. But that means these skills are pretty important then, huh.’
“It depends on what you judge to be important. Skills make it possible to direct shimmer in an ordered manner. If you judge that using shimmer is important, skills are important, yes.”
‘Doesn’t that make the third option a bad one, since I can’t learn any skills?’
“That’s not the case. You can still learn skills manually. No matter which path you choose, there is always the option of learning skills this way. However, of course, it’s easiest to learn these skills automatically as you level up and… advance classes, as you might say.”
‘I see… why does that Path have a question mark instead of a number, anyway?’
“That is because it’s a Path that will only present itself to a few special Astrals.”
‘Does that mean that it’s more powerful than the other two?’
“All of the Paths are valid choices and equally powerful. A Path does not decide where you end up. Only the choices you make along your journey will do that.”
Diegen weighed his options carefully, pondering which Path to choose.
The Way of the Body promised great physical strength and prowess, as exemplified by Asmophel's incredible feat of lifting a monster carcass with a single hand at Heisenken HQ. This was an appealing option for Diegen, but he also couldn't ignore the allure of the Way of the Mind, which seemed to be the Path of spellcasters like the renowned hero Augustus Silver.
As for the Way of the Soul, Diegen dismissed it quickly, as he saw no advantage in not being able to learn skills automatically. Besides, he had no idea who could teach him skills manually even if he wanted to pursue this option.
Diegen ultimately decided on the Way of the Mind, as he didn't want to limit himself and believed that he had a better chance of learning physical skills than magical ones, regardless of the Path he chose.
‘I’ve decided. I will choose the Way of the Mind,’ he thought.
Suddenly, he felt the tension in the air rise, and the stars all around him shone brighter as if they were responding to his decision. A deep humming began to sound within him, and he began to glow orange. He felt a sense of power surge within him…
…which then disappeared as soon as it had come.
The tension was released, the stars went back to their original brightness, and he felt just as he had before.
‘…’
“…”
‘Is it done?’
A blue notification popped up in his vision.
—-
Choice ‘Way of the Mind’ has been denied.
—-
‘Uh… Goddess? Is there a reason I cannot choose the Way of the Mind?’
“I’m sorry?”
‘It says that my choice has been denied.’
“Er… I don’t understand. What do you mean your choice was denied?”
‘That’s what it says.’
“Oh… Um, yes. That- that means that deep inside you, there’s a part of you that must be wishing for another Path, and therefore is rejecting that Path.”
‘But I’m pretty sure I want this Path.’
“…”
‘Goddess?’
“The heart wants what the heart wants.”
That sounded like the vague kind of thing that people said to cover up the fact that they had no idea what was going on.
“I absolutely know what’s going on,” Avaritia said, sounding a bit flustered.
‘Then please explain to me why I am unable to select the Way of the Mind.’
“Uh… maybe it didn’t believe you? Try it again…”
—-
Choice ‘Way of the Mind’ has been denied.
—-
‘…’
“…”
‘It’s still saying it.’
“…”
‘Goddess, are you still there?’
“…”
‘C’mon, this isn’t funny. Isn’t this supposed to be my first important decision as an Astral?’
“It seems that you will have to choose another Path.”
‘But the Way of the Mind is what I want-‘
“Please… just choose another Path.”
‘Alright. Then I choose the Way of the Body.’
—-
Choice ‘The Way of the Body’ has been denied.
—-
‘…Is this a joke?’
“I am sorry.”
The Goddess didn’t seem to be doing this on purpose, and rather genuinely confused by the situation. Diegen sighed, supposing that he couldn’t complain to the Goddess if she was in the same boat as he was.
Reluctantly, he chose ‘The Way of the Soul’.
Again, the tension in the air rose, the stars around him shone brighter, he started to glow orange, and a surge of power filled his body, except this time it didn’t suddenly stop. It continued to fill him until a notification popped up in his vision.
—
You have selected the Way of the Soul.
Awakening shimmer system… complete.
Modifying physical form… complete.
Reconfiguring status… complete.
Congratulations, you have ascended to the rank of Astral.
Name Diegen Faerfeld Rank/Level Astral, Level 1 Race Sa’nasi Path Way of the Soul Strength Discovery (Basic) Endurance Discovery (Basic) Dexterity Discovery (Basic) Agility Discovery (Basic) Shimmer Discovery (Basic) Skills None Innate Abilities Sixth Sense (Basic) ??? Path-Related Abilities ???
—-
Although he didn’t have a physical body in this unknown place, Diegen already felt a difference in his being. His mind felt clearer, his body felt stronger, and he felt uplifted. It was like stepping out of a sauna after sitting in it for hours. However, as he read through his status window, doubt began to creep in. Was this all some kind of scam? Should he have chosen one of the other two paths instead?
"Hey Goddess," Diegen spoke up, his voice echoing in the void. "It says here that I have two innate abilities, one of which is 'Sixth Sense,' and another one that's just question marks, and then I have a path-related ability that is also just question marks. What do these mean?"
“Your innate abilities are those that you possessed from the start, from even before you became an Astral. Have you ever noticed that you were able to sense things that others could not?” the Goddess replied.
Diegen thought about it for a moment. Hadn't he always had a sense of intuition, a feeling of being able to detect things that others couldn't?
“On the other hand, those question marks mean that it is not yet time for you to know these things," Avaritia continued. "Those abilities will reveal themselves when the time is right.”
"When the time is right?" Diegen repeated, feeling frustrated.
"That’s right. Unfortunately, I am unable to tell you more about those because doing so would affect your fate."
Diegen couldn't help but feel a sense of disappointment. He had hoped to gain some insight into his newfound powers, but it seemed that he would have to wait for them to reveal themselves.
"What about these stats?" he asked, trying to redirect his thoughts. "It says that they're all Discovery (Basic)."
"That's where all stats begin, and they advance as you grow. For example, as you become stronger, your Strength stat will advance, and as you become faster, your Agility stat will advance. You will also be able to upgrade certain stats using rare elixirs or by leveling up."
Diegen nodded, understanding a little better now. He still had much to learn about this new world and the powers he possessed.
As the stars around him began to wink out one by one, Diegen felt a sense of urgency rising within him. He wasn't sure what was about to happen, but he had a feeling that his time in this alternate dimension was coming to an end soon.
"Is this the last time we're going to see each other?" he asked the Goddess, hoping to get some kind of reassurance.
“I certainly hope not. If you want to see me again, come visit my temple. I will be waiting for you.”
Diegen nodded, feeling a small sense of comfort at her words. He wasn't sure how or when he would be able to visit her temple, but he knew that he would find a way.
"And one last thing," the Goddess added, her voice fading away. "You might want to go outside when you wake up."
"Huh?" Diegen was confused, but before he could ask for clarification, the world around him slowly vanished, and he was left in darkness once again. As he gazed into the abyss, he noticed something that had eluded him until that point. Directly in front of him was an area of pure darkness, and in the middle of that terrifying emptiness was a single star of pure, white light. It shone like a beacon, a symbol of hope in the darkness.